Monday, 20 December 2010

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a fantastic new year. And to thank you all for reading all my wittering's.Lets forget all the bad news, the wars, the financial crisis, the editorial writers will be making sure we get all the downtrodden, demoralized news in the so called news papers through the special season. Or Do like I do and don’t give them the chance to ruin Christmas and enjoy this festive season with no news paper, or any other type of news (except the weather report) After all 90% of it is pure fiction. And only think of the beautiful things in life.So! Remember all those who are less fortunate that us, give as not to receive. Smile, sing laugh and be happy for we are a long time Dead. Enjoy Friends and Family for its they that matter Remember and keep that feeling when you make some one smile, keep it with you for when you need a smile

My wishes for 2011I would like to see all our troops home from the gulf (at let the bloody yanks have it, I’ve been and its not worth dying for) I would like to see a year were all children are free to play to their hearts content without restrictions of fear from adult interference and health and safety nonsense. (let Children be Children)I would like to see a year where news papers printed The News and the Truth Instead of sensationalism, Slander and untruths.A year where all of the worlds governments worked for the electoral masses and not for themselves,their ego and personal gain. A year where all separated families are united and throw away all the animosities that drove them apart And a year where all people respect all religions, customs, and heritage and allow them the freedom of Speech, Religion, Tradition, and Custom. May your God Bless you, look after you and care of you and yoursBig Al

Saturday, 18 December 2010

I am not sure that this will go down too well but hey I have always been a bit controversial and maybe it will hit a chord with a few and you never know we could start another revolution but this time for the good

With respect

Things we use to do
Today I was in church when I noticed two men with hats on . After the service when I challenged them and said that it was disrespectful to do so, they said that they didn’t know it was disrespectful and anyway why were women allowed to wear a hat and men not (that then started another debate) However It started me thinking of the many things that were once natural and respectful which now you very rarely see or experience.
When a funeral came down the street men would doff their cap, give the sign of the cross, bow their head or at the least stand still until it had passed .
Even now in today’s mad world I can not bring myself to overtake a hearse . Unlike others I see that cut up the whole procession so so rude and unnecessary.

Now I am far from being a whimp and have been called a chauvinist, but I think that doing the gentlemanly thing is being able to do something rather special and it cost nothing, as does, Opening a door for a lady, Standing up when a lady comes into a room, when a lady arrives or leaves the dinning table, Walking on the out side of a lady, as the great philosopher said Manners cost Nowt. Neither does switching off the TV, Radio, Wee or play station when a visitor calls, or whilst eating. Using the words Excuse Me., Thank You and Please would go a long way to combating the lack of respect .
Wearing a hat in church, in the house or whilst eating are all disrespectful to the people you are eating with.
Chewing gum may be a way of cleaning your teeth while you are having a busy day , but it when talking to me please please take it out, but do not drop it on the floor or stick it under the table (Dirty little Sods)
Allowing children to play in a restaurant , I pay good money to eat out and I do not want children running under my table playing hide and seek, the parents are mostly oblivious to the chaos the kids are causing. I not saying that they should not take the kids Out, what I want is for them to respect my space and teach the children manners, there are places available for children to dine in chaos. Which I do not frequent .

I find that the disrespect for other is the underlying route of most of our problems, my Dad always said that you have to respect yourself before others can respect you. And certainly in the army I had to really earn that respect the hard way. I am not going to condemn the youth of today because they do not know any better , and some of the older age group are no better the man with the hat in church was my age and I see some very ignorant Oldies not respecting the younger ones. Maybe. I should condemn my age group and the disastrous sixties where we threw convention out of the window. And started the free society were anything went. Hopefully though I do still retain a modicum of civility and respect to others.
What is the answer ; I have no idea, but maybe we still have a chance by bringing back respect to our society, We have children and grand children and there is the starting point.
And when you see someone in church with a hat on or talking to you whilst chewing gum Tell them its not acceptable and why. Whilst trying to talk to my grandson the other day I insisted he turned the TV off whilst we had a conversation, a small step I know but lets start

Tuesday, 7 December 2010

I promised that I would not complain on this one so here is something that may cheer you up.

Unless you have to travel to work everyday through the ice and snow.

Whilst everyone around us has been moaning about the adverse weather we are suffering, for the first time since I left school I have been enjoying it.

Since leaving school we have always had to struggle through the snow and ice into work or struggle to get kids to school, especially work as so many people depended on us being in work. Now though we can stay in bed until the sun comes through the port holes and warms the earth. Or like this morning I was out early taking photos of the absolutely beautiful scenes around the marina, it was like a fairy wonderland with frosted trees that seem to sparkle in the morning light. The Holly bush was displaying leaves of dark green edged with a white frosted border, the boats as still as statues encased in a iron fist of ice; a light covering of snow hiding the usual vibrant colours and shrouding them in the uniform white, one or two chimneys dispensing grey puffs of smoke showing sign of the inhabitants stirring within. My now very tame Robin chirping his way to an early breakfast, and being quite a bully protecting the feed until his wife has had her fill, then the tits move in two or three at a time using their agility and acrobatics to empty the food containers. Yes it was a very magical scene, and of course the most magical thing of all, I have time to stand and stare. (See bottom of blog.) and enjoy it. As I said before sometimes when we have busy lives we do not seem to appreciate what is around us, when you are driving though 6 inches of snow you don't have time to marvel at the frosted spiders web.

I do feel for all the sorry souls who have had to struggle through the hardships of the cold snap and continue with their daily toil, but for me I am loving it.

Having time on my hands I managed to get ourselves and Buggerlugs well prepared for this kind of event, so I have very little to do except keep an eye on things, keep the water in the stand pipes running, keep the engine from freezing up (the engines cooling system is two tanks welded into the rear of the boat along the stern which is now sat in 5 inches of ice) keeping our little burner stoked up and keeping Buggerlugs very cosy.

If I have made living on the boat through a hard frost sound somewhat idyllic I am glad because that's what it is

Though idyllic as it is, this time last year we were complaining that it was too hot to sleep as we drove and camped our way along the coast down to Sydney. That's the problem though we are never satisfied are we, maybe we should thank God we woke up, and live each day for what it is and Treat the PRESENT as a GIFT.

Monday, 6 December 2010

Now before I start I am not the worlds best driver, I was taught to drive through necessity, I also had a three wheeler on a motor bike licence years before I passed my car test and even then I past my test whilst in the army in Cyprus, the examiner (my mate another Sgt.) said he had never been on a test where the pupil had killed a donkey, did a 360 degree skid and had a blow out all within the examination? (more of that storey on a later date) he did however say that my handling of the situations and the way I managed to put the vehicle back on four wheels and in the upright position after colliding with the aforesaid animal was nothing more that miraculous.

Since that time however I have got my HGV, I can drive a tank, some plant equipment, passed my advanced driver, raced moto cross motor cycles and led a army motorcycle trial team. Myself and my three brothers were brought up on petrol and grease. Dad was a brilliant mechanic who could diagnose a engine problem just by listening to it. He taught us how to listen to the engine, he said it was like a woman if you listen carefully to it then you will get it right?

I transgress this is about “modern drivers” though today we do not actually drive the car we merely steer it from one location to another the modern vehicle drives itself.

OK, Lets take for instance Fog lights; yes I said fog lights with the emphasis on fog; not get out of my way you old codger lights or Hey! look what I got for Christmas lights, or I'm blind and should not be driving lights, they are fog lights purely and simply for the use of seeing and being seen in adverse weather conditions. I am sure that when some people buy a car the fog lights are on and the owner has no idea how to turn them off. It is a driving offence to drive with them on when not required Driving without due care and attention DWDCA. So lets have hanging brought back.

Music systems, Keith and I on our various fishing trips in the Camper van have been know to make the springs rock to the sounds of Eric Clapton, using air guitar and steering wheel drum for accompaniment though the decibel rating was never in danger of injuring our ears, others sensibilities maybe but nothing medical or dangerous. Even though now I live on the boat in a marina, we are moored quite close to the A59 between Preston and Liverpool I don't know whether that has any bearing on the matter but the young racers who pass here seem to be oblivious to the noise and vibration they cause. I now know most of the music Crap that is being produced today by the incessant beat without which it could not be called Music.( It’s a pity boats don’t have double glazing.) I fail to see how they can hear an emergency vehicle trying to get passed or a malfunction to the smooth running of the engine or even the woeful cries of the pensioner they picked up on the bumper at the last crossing. Again DWDC and Pollution. Again lets have the birch back

We are also bombarded with the continual roar of over sized exhaust pipes, To my limited experience there is no engineering fact that says the louder the faster it is true that exhaust gasses must be removed quickly however to that end I know of many quieter ways of expelling unwanted and burnt gasses. I have recently come to the conclusion that the size of the over exaggerated exhaust is related in the over exaggerated ego of the di-- head driving it.

Indicators

Those are the things that are normally on an arm around the steering wheel, when pushed up or down they send an electrical impulse to lights on the front and rear of the vehicle

that flash indicating to other road users which way you intend to manoeuvre your vehicle

This is especially useful at roundabouts when people are waiting to join traffic coming from your right and the bast--- don’t indicate that they are turning right thereby leaving you sat there waiting to joint the merry throng, when you could have been away ages ago.

Whilst on about roundabouts how about the undecided, the shall I shan’t I ? driver

For Goodness sake make a bloody decision and stick to it, that would avoid my front bumper from falling in love with their rear bumper

Foreign HGV drivers, imagine a busy motorway hgv's in the inside lane one HGV decides that he is progressing at at least 2 mph more than the one in front so he should overtake, It is the only way that Spanish, French, and east European drivers feel any sort of superiority over our Brit drivers who frankly couldn’t give a sh-- and have never been in a rush to get anywhere except home. This overtaking manoeuvre normal takes 10 miles to complete over a period of several minutes whist blocking the whole motorway

Is it not time that on busy motorways and at busy time we banned HGV's from the outside lanes. (or banned all foreign drivers and their dangerous untaxed and untested vehicles. Keep Britain British and put a HGV test station at Dover.

Push bikes (run the buggers down) what gives them the right to ride three a breast on country lanes waggling their lycra clad ar-- in my windscreen they cause mayhem by deliberately blocking motorists who have PAID for the right to travel on the queens highway unlike the cyclists who believe that because they consider themselves to be environmentally friendlily they gain the right to be a bloody morons, their actions cause pollution by making cars use fuel in an uneconomical way (queuing and labouring to get bye) is anything but environmentally friendlily it should be made a criminal offence to travel in such a dangerous and inconsiderate manner. So should crossing red lights, scratching cars with handle bars, riding on the pavement. and basically being a deek.

and the worst offence is the wearing of lycra I say make them all pay road tax and insurance. and ban lycra

Enough

My next communiqué will be a very nice one none of this grumpy old man stuff so just keep a look out

About Me

I had 23 years in the army retired came out in 1987 as a warrent Oficer, Foolishly I then Joined Sodexo and worked in the catering industry for 18 years until retiring in 2008. Noreen ran her own catering busness for 22 years and retired 6 months later. We sold the house and the business' designed our Narrow boat Had her fitted out out at Fettlers. and now live and have a very contented life style.
We enjoy all the good things in life.
Even if many people think we are mad, I reakon that in life sometimes you do have to be a little bit crazy and do crazy things otherwise you just die Old.
God Bless everyone who reads this stuff.